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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25230670">something just like this</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardating/pseuds/stardating'>stardating</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>to steal a heart [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Asexual Steve Rogers, Beta Tony Stark, Comfort, Communication, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Demisexual Tony Stark, Established Relationship, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Misgendering, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Trope Subversion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:48:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,212</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25230670</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardating/pseuds/stardating</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Upon returning home from a way too long business trip, Tony finds that some things have exploded in the last few hours. It leads to some surprising revelations.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>to steal a heart [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752091</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>something just like this</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I swear, all these ideas pop into my head when it is inconvenient or too late for me to write. Such as when I am brushing my teeth and two minutes away from falling asleep. Anyways, please enjoy and thank you for all the previous comments and kudos! Special thanks, once again, to the MCU Stony Discord server for all the ideas and suggestions!</p><p>Slight content warning I am not sure I properly addressed in the tags: the misgendering in here is for the fictional alpha, beta, and omega sub-genders. It’s accidental, was not due to any medical malpractice or anyone’s prejudice, and once discovered, is pretty easily accepted by the people who matter. Proper medical attention is then sought off-screen.</p><p>Just as a side note, should it be confusing, the alphas in the story are Steve, Pepper, and Bucky; the betas are Tony and Sam; and Natasha is an omega. Everyone is awesome regardless.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sweet, sweet New York …” Tony sighed happily, almost pressing his window to the glass of the airplane’s window. “Thank god.”</p><p>Next to him, Pepper chuckled. “It is good to be back.”</p><p>“I’m going to make it illegal to drone on and on like those guys did,” he continued, watching the coast line of Manhattan draw closer. “If someone can’t be excited for what they are presenting, then there is clearly a problem with it.”</p><p>“As we learned two seconds into looking at the blue prints?”</p><p>“Exactly.”</p><p>It took some time to board off of the plane, go through security, and wait for their baggage, but finally, <em>finally</em> the most boring trip <em>ever </em>was over. It had been three weeks of conferences, business meetings, having to negotiate contracts and wages, approve plans, and assure other companies that they were not making a mistake doing business with Stark Industries. Many of the duties Tony initially struggled with had gradually been shifted over to others, such as Pepper and her staff, because Tony was <em>not </em>the control freak like his father had been.</p><p>However, he was still the head of the R&amp;D department, a major shareholder, had a position on the board of directors, and still owned the whole thing too. He knew that it was imperative for the future of the company and their on-going efforts to provide jobs in hundreds of sectors and push the world into more sustainable technologies. In order to do that, he had to accept that he was the face of the company—which meant he could not always go home at the end of the day.</p><p>Sometimes he had to take extra-long business trips around the world. Sometimes he had to work long hours on weekends and holidays. Some nights he felt that weight pressing down on his chest; some nights he felt glad he could actually do something.</p><p>Suddenly, as they were heading over to Happy to drive home, his phone started to blow up.</p><p>“Hang on, Pep,” he called, stalled for a bit.</p><p>He read the text messages—which were still coming in fast—with growing alarm.</p><p>“Steve’s place!” he shouted, catching up and passing Pepper.</p><p>“Steve’s?” she repeated. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“He’s sick!”</p><p>Tony felt dread swell in his chest and start to close in on his throat, but he forced it down so he could call Bucky.</p><p>A little over a year ago, he had gotten into an argument with a spitfire over who was better—Picasso or Monet—at a random museum trip to clear his head.</p><p>Since then, his life included a lot more arguments over design and art, cheating during various video game contests, group chats filled with inside jokes, and quite a few more friends as Steve’s social circle became ‘theirs’. It took them some time to pull their heads out of their asses, but when they finally caved in and admitted they had feelings for each other …</p><p>He loved Steve like little else on this planet, but loving Steve also included worrying about his many medical conditions. Tony tried not to press matters or over too much.</p><p>Some omegas were just a little on the sicklier side.</p><p>It happened. Genetics and nature sucked.</p><p>“Sick?” Pepper exclaimed. “Not just asthma? Why aren’t we going to the ER?”</p><p>“I don’t know!”</p><p>Bucky, thankfully, picked up after barely a ring.</p><p>“What are his symptoms?” Tony asked.</p><p>“Like he’s got a cold and the flu—fever and chills, sore muscles, sound and light bother him, and he hasn’t eaten anything since last night. He’s been absolutely miserable.”</p><p>“He hasn’t been puking?”</p><p>“No. No nausea either, but I haven’t been able to check on him because he’s barricaded himself in his room.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s the weirdest thing,” Bucky said, clearly frustrated and worried. “All the times he’s been sick, he’s been a grumbly, needy thing. Now this is like—I don’t know!”</p><p>“I’ll get a doc on the line when I get there,” Tony said. “But you know what to do best. Just try to that. Fluids, aspirin, whatever.”</p><p>“Don’t you think I’ve been doing that?” Bucky growled.</p><p>Pepper snatched the phone out of Tony’s hand, speaking a lot more evenly and calmly than he could manage at the moment. “We will be there in about ten minutes. Is there anything we can do besides call a doctor? Do you want us to call for an ambulance?”</p><p>“No, he’s stable, as far as I can tell. He’s got the energy to be mouthy and insulting.”</p><p>“Alright. We will talk to you soon. Let us know if anything changes.”</p><p>“Thanks, Pepper,” Bucky said before hanging up.</p><p>“I’m on it, I’m on it!” Happy said, needing no prompt to drive like the worst of them.</p>
<hr class="hr"/><p>“Where is he?” Tony asked without preamble.</p><p>Bucky, Natasha, and Sam were all sitting in the apartment’s living room, tense as if someone were on their deathbed.</p><p>“Still in his room,” Bucky said, his fingers digging into his knees.</p><p>He could smell the stress and worry.</p><p>Natasha reached over and placed her hand on one of Bucky’s, which calmed him down a fraction. It was still better than nothing.</p><p>“Nothing has changed,” she said. “But he smells off.”</p><p>“Off?” Pepper repeated.</p><p>“Yes. He doesn’t smell like he usually does. This is … bitter. Like chocolate.”</p><p>Well, that was odd, Tony thought. He usually thought Steve smelled like oranges and cinnamon. If he wanted to get further into that, he also thought Steve smelled like fresh air and sun-warmed earth, but that those were details only for him and Steve.</p><p>Sam drummed his fingers on the arm of a chair, clearly thinking hard.</p><p>“He hasn’t been puking or anything? No symptoms before this?” Tony asked.</p><p>Bucky shook his head. “No. This hit him like a train. Pretty sure it’s not the flu, because we made sure to get our shots early.”</p><p>Tony frowned and began to pace in front of them.</p><p>“It’s like …” He trailed off. His brain was going somewhere, but wasn’t telling him the final destination yet. “It’s like—”</p><p>“Like a rut,” Sam said.</p><p>“What?” everyone exclaimed in one way or another.</p><p>“It’s like a rut,” Sam repeated. “We should have seen it. He’s got all the typical behaviors.”</p><p>Tony felt like he had been punched in the gut and wanted to argue, but Sam was a therapist. He knew his stuff when it came to human behavior in general. If he said this might be a rut, then there was a pretty good chance he was right. Like in the ninety-five percent chance range.</p><p>“I’m not following,” Bucky said. “Why would he be going through a rut? He barely goes through heats! It’s impossible! He’s not an alpha!”</p><p>“No, no,” Tony interjected. “Let’s go with this and look at the facts. Ignoring everything we know about him, his symptoms sound just like a really bad rut, with territory issues and everything. We’ve all just assumed he was an omega. Has he ever been to a doctor to confirm?”</p><p>“No. Too expensive and we knew what he was anyways. Or thought we did,” Bucky said with a shake of his head.</p><p>It was slowly starting to dawn upon all of them. He could see it on all their faces.</p><p>“His ruts might have been suppressed due to being around other omegas,” Sam continued. “It’s been proven prolonged exposure results in less frequent and intense ruts. Suppressant medication can do the same thing, depending upon the individual biology. Any heats he might have had probably <em>were </em>ruts.”</p><p>“And then I up and left for three weeks,” Tony muttered.</p><p>Being away from a partner for an extended amount of time was hard enough, but that was why Pepper planned this trip around Steve’s heat schedule. It was the general thing to do to prevent this exact kind of situation, but surprises happened. Day or two early kind of surprises, though. Not a <em>two weeks early </em>kind of surprise. Tony was still trying to wrap his mind around it, trying to figure out some way to <em>fix this</em>. God, Steve was suffering and—</p><p>Bucky gave him a look. “Hey, don’t go blaming yourself. None of us were expecting this.”</p><p>“Yeah, but—”</p><p>Natasha gave him a look then, which made him clamp his mouth shut.</p><p>“Let’s just … figure something out,” Pepper said, rubbing her temple. “What is the best thing to do for an alpha in this kind of situation?”</p><p>Sam thought for a moment. “Usually alphas go through their first ruts when they’re much younger. The drive to mate is not as intense as it can be when they’re older, but by the time that happens, they’re closer to being adults. I’d say just make sure he’s physically comfortable and do what we can to make him feel safe. He’s not quite himself right now.”</p><p>“But he <em>knows </em>it’s us, right?” Bucky asked.</p><p>Tony glanced at him. He was not sure what happened in the last … ten hours based on the text messages … but he surmised that something happened.</p><p>“He does,” Natasha confirmed. “You’ve been through ruts yourself. You know how instincts can mess with your head. This is just hitting him harder than usual.”</p><p>“So. Apple cake and freshly laundered sheets,” Bucky said. “Got it.”</p><p>Pepper was already on her phone. “I’ll order some of Steve’s other favorite foods. I know an excellent bakery that’s close by.”</p><p>“Okay,” Tony said, glad there was a plan in the works. “I’m gonna go check on him.”</p><p>“I dunno, man,” Sam cautioned. “He wouldn’t let any of us in. Just about ripped Bucky apart.”</p><p>Oh. Damn.</p><p>Since they were kids, Bucky was used to taking care of Steve and standing up for him. Not that Steve didn’t do that for himself already, but the two of them had a brotherly bond that went beyond sub-genders and what society said alpha-omega relationships should be like. They, as they said, were with each other until the end of the line. For Steve to push Bucky away when he was trying to help must have smarted.</p><p>Tony hoped that when this was over and Steve was in his right mind again, they could talk and smooth over any lingering hurt feelings. Tony knew Steve would be mortified about his behavior if he wasn’t already. Maybe that was why he was still holing himself up in his room.</p><p>“Does he still have his cell phone?” Tony asked.</p><p>“Yeah, but he’s not picking—”</p><p>Tony whipped out his phone and faintly heard ‘Iron Man’ by AC/DC started to play from down the hallway. It took a few moments, but finally, Steve picked up.</p><p>“Hey there,” Tony said before Steve could say anything. “I missed you at the airport.”</p><p>“I know.” Steve sounded horrible, his voice strained. “I felt like I was coming down with a cold, but I was going to come anyways, but then I started feeling even worse by lunch.”</p><p>That was a good sign; maybe he wasn’t fully gone on instincts and hormones just yet.</p><p>“But you’re not coming down with a cold, are you?” he asked gently.</p><p>“No,” Steve moaned. “I feel like—”</p><p>“You’re having a rut?”</p><p>There was silence on the other end of the line.</p><p>“What?” Steve croaked.</p><p>“Did you hear anything we said outside your door?” he asked. “All of us are still here.”</p><p>As he spoke, he went to stand outside Steve’s bedroom door. Everyone else followed him. It was a little crowded, but he refrained from saying anything. There was a chance Steve could already sense that they were there, and if crowding around a bedroom door helped them all worry a bit less or be ready should something happen, Tony wasn’t going to stop them.</p><p>“No. I didn’t.”</p><p>“Okay. Do you remember what happened after you woke up?”</p><p>Steve was quiet for a moment, but more contemplative than shocked. “I felt awful. Everything bothered me until it got to the point where it was almost painful. So I … I don’t know what I did. I didn’t kill anyone, did I?”</p><p>“No, no,” Tony assured him. “Just bit some heads off worse than when I won our argument about <em>The Magpie </em>not being Monet’s best work.”</p><p>“Oh. Sorry.”</p><p>“Hey, worry about apologies later. Think you can open the door so we can talk?”</p><p>Steve sputtered and protested. “N-No! If I’m in a rut, then I—”</p><p>“It’s okay, I promise,” Tony said, trying to channel his inner Pepper. “We’ll figure out what is going on. We’re all out here. Between the six of us—”</p><p>The growl Steve let out was almost feral.</p><p>“Okay, okay, maybe not everyone,” he amended. “But it might be a good idea to let us give you some water bottles and vitamins. Maybe some soup. When have you last eaten?”</p><p>“I … don’t know.”</p><p>“See? Now, I can only imagine that this really sucks right now for you, but I know you can rise above all that.”</p><p>Even without the phone, he could hear the whimper Steve let out.</p><p>“Trust me. We just want to help.”</p><p>They all could hear some shuffling, but the door only opened a crack. With a gentle nudge, Bucky made everyone take a few steps back so there was defined space between them, Tony, and the door. Steve barely poked his head out, but they could all see how miserable he looked.</p><p>“Hey there, buttercup,” Tony said gently. “Wanna come out? Or do you want me to come in?”</p><p>“Can you come in?”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>Steve backed up only a little bit, as if he were still afraid to let anyone into the room. Yeah, Tony’s mind supplied, another alpha rut behavior: being paranoid about any perceived territory.</p><p>He really was cursing himself. If not for this happening, how long would they assume Steve was an omega? No wonder over the counter suppressants never seemed to help him. The moment Steve was back to being himself, he was going to insist he go to a doctor and get the works: allergy tests, heart examinations, blood tests, all of it. He couldn’t stand back and ignore the issue any further. Not when they could easily have prevented all this.</p><p>“Hey, darling,” Tony said, holding up his arms for a hug.</p><p>It spoke to how much comfort Steve needed when he immediately hugged Tony with a vice-like grip, burying his face in Tony’s chest. He felt feverish and was trembling and Tony frowned from how his hair was damp with sweat.</p><p>“Do you want to come out into the living room?”</p><p>Steve slowly shook his head.</p><p>Tony hummed in thought.</p><p>“Do you want anyone else in the room with you?”</p><p>“I—I don’t know.”</p><p>“That’s alright,” Tony assured him, rubbing his back. “You can always decide later.”</p><p>Steve pulled back to look over Tony’s shoulder. “Sorry I bit your head off, Buck.”</p><p>Bucky gave him a relieved smile. “It’s alright. Nothing personal, right?”</p><p>“Right,” Steve confirmed.</p><p>“Alright. How about you jump into the shower? We got some food being delivered. Getting clean will probably help.”</p>
<hr class="hr"/><p>Getting Steve into the shower took longer than expected for two reasons. One, because Steve was reluctant to let go of Tony, and two, because they had to attempt not to trip over the ‘remodeling’ he had done.</p><p>Steve had made the mother of all pillow forts: his curtains made a tent-like roof, stolen couch cushions made the walls, and his mattress made the base. Blankets and pillows from the rest of the apartment filled in nooks and crannies, making everything plush and soft. It was certainly a feat, given how small Steve’s room was.</p><p>His desk, dresser and bedframe were all pushed in front of the closet, which made getting a fresh towel and pajamas almost impossible.</p><p>It wasn’t just the pillow fort either. There was a pile of granola bars, snack cakes, and other packaged foods sorted neatly on his desk chair, and on the dresser was the coffee maker. At least there was a rubber tray for spills and to corral the mugs and supplies like sugar.</p><p>Steve was definitely going through a rut. Tony wished they had seen the signs sooner—how competitive Steve could sometimes get, how he was more likely to punch someone than try to talk it out, and a dozen other details that was more typical of alphas. They were idiots for assuming just because he was small and sickly that he was an omega. It made him wonder if Steve ever wondered about that himself. It never came up in their ‘relationship conversations’, not that they had many of those to begin with. Maybe they should have.</p><p>Was the education system just that bad? Did Steve think it was just easier to go along with what everyone assumed and what society dictated alphas and omegas should be like?</p><p>Did he suspect something but couldn’t voice it?</p><p>As soon as Steve was in his bathroom, Tony left the bedroom. Everyone else respected his wishes and stayed out as well. The food got delivered and paid for, Pepper left to pick up the candles and other items she had looked up. They felt only marginally better about the whole disaster, but the best thing to do was take it one step at a time.</p><p>Even if Tony wanted to solve it sometime yesterday.</p><p>Then, about twenty minutes later, Tony got a text, asking if he could come back in.</p><p>“Be careful,” Natasha warned, even though the first contact (and god, it felt wrong phrasing it like that) went well. “I know it’s Steve, but this is uncharted territory.”</p><p>“I will,” he promised.</p><p>As a beta, Tony didn’t have to deal with heats or ruts himself, but he always tried to be there for those who did. Sometimes it was as simple as ordering take out for his friends, other times, it was as complicated as looking through all of SI’s policies with some lawyers to give everyone equal protections as employees. Everyone’s experiences differed, from the lengths to the symptoms, but as far as he could tell, few people had a pleasant time.</p><p>But Natasha was right.</p><p>This was uncharted territory. There wasn’t much research in the physiological effects of late blooming alphas or omegas. There was even a smaller amount of research regarding the physiological effects of an alpha in a relationship with a beta. Alphas and omegas were said to ‘balance each other out’ and that kind of relationship was the ‘preferred’ one. It was only in recent decades that society started to accept and recognize that other relationship combinations could be just as healthy and fulfilling as alpha-omega or beta-beta relationships.</p><p>Tony gave a soft knock. Silence followed, so he waited a few moments.</p><p>“Come in,” came Steve’s muffled voice.</p><p>“Hey,” he said, opening the door a crack to see inside.</p><p>Steve was sitting on the edge of his mattress, his bath towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was still slightly damp and he looked absolutely miserable.</p><p>Tony walked inside, closed the door, and crouched in front of him, keeping some distance.</p><p>“How are you feeling?”</p><p>Steve shrugged a shoulder, but didn’t really look at him.</p><p>Standing up, Tony tugged free a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around Steve’s shoulders.</p><p>“Better?”</p><p>“I—” Steve cut himself off, trying to collect his thoughts as he tugged the blanket closer around himself. “I feel so strange. Not like myself at all. Like I’m too large for my body and I’m running on empty. I want to yell and burrow myself under some blankets for the rest of eternity.”</p><p>“That is what they say a rut is like,” Tony said gently. “We think you’re an alpha.”</p><p>“I don’t know how that is possible,” Steve muttered. “This sucks.”</p><p>“Big time. You really threw us for a loop, darling.”</p><p>Steve then surprised him by leaning forward, baring his throat. Tony’s heart skipped a beat, but he leaned forward the rest of the way and nuzzled him, breathing in deep. Despite what Natasha said, he still smelled like summertime warmth and oranges.</p><p>“I’ll be okay,” Tony murmured, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “We’ll figure this out.”</p><p>“Can we cuddle?” Steve asked.</p><p>He sounded so <em>vulnerable</em>.</p><p>It was then he realized that this was more than alphas, omegas, and the behaviors that were associated with them. It was bigger than heats or ruts. Why were they trying to fit him into some preconceived notion? Why were they thinking about him in terms of alpha or omega? Pigeonholing him into anything wouldn’t do him any good.</p><p>This was about Steve.</p><p>This was about what he needed no matter what label he was given. He likely wouldn’t have all the symptoms, reactions, or patterns an alpha typically had during their rut. At best, they would just need to see what worked and remember what didn’t.</p><p>“Of course, come here,” Tony said, climbing onto the bed and pulling Steve to him, blanket and all. Steve snuggled into him, letting out a deep sigh.</p><p>Tony stroked his hair, sighing as well.</p><p>He let the silence linger, just glad that he wasn’t actually sick, that this would pass in a few days. It would be uncomfortable and odd, but at least the worst of it was likely over and most importantly,<em> it would end</em>. He wasn’t going to die. He wasn’t going to slip away from them in the middle of the night or literally cough up a lung. He was going to be okay.</p><p>“Tony?” Steve whispered, concerned.</p><p>“You just scared me, is all,” Tony murmured.</p><p>Steve reached up and shifted, pulling Tony closer, so their foreheads touched. “I’m sorry. I’m okay, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”</p><p>He nodded and kissed him softly. “I know.”</p><p>“So,” Tony drawled after some relaxing silence. “We gotta think of a game plan here, sweetheart. You can’t hole yourself up in your room once a month for the rest of your life. I’m thinking we get you a decent doctor, do some tests, rule out any other underlying problems, and confirm if you’re an alpha or omega.”</p><p>Steve snorted. “Your idea of a decent doctor is the kind that serves cucumber water to their patients in the waiting room.”</p><p>“Hey, they serve lemon water sometimes too,” he teased.</p><p>“Do we have to go to a doctor now?” Steve asked.</p><p>Tony shook his head and dragged another blanket over both of them. “Nah, we’ll wait until this passes. For now, I just want to … I don’t know, pamper the hell out of you and make you feel better.”</p><p>Steve blushed, but adjusted the blanket some more. “Nothing overboard.”</p><p>“This good?” Tony asked, remembering how Steve was still only in a towel. “No hot flashes?”</p><p>Steve nodded. “No hot flashes yet.”</p><p>“Cold?”</p><p>“No. Not really.”</p><p>Then, there was a slight uncomfortable pause.</p><p>“I still don’t want—that.”</p><p>Tony nodded. “Okay. Thanks for confirming that for me.”</p><p>Steve let out a deep breath, his shoulders sagging. Tony hadn’t noticed how tense he was still holding himself until now. “And you?”</p><p>“Me?” Tony repeated.</p><p>“This is a big change. We’re not …”</p><p>Tony sighed and pressed a kiss to his temple. “I still love you. I’m still only interested in you. I still don’t want to do anything you’re not interested in. Not having sex isn’t a deal breaker for me. You being an alpha doesn’t change my feelings for you, though it <em>does</em> answer some questions, like how stubborn you can be.”</p><p>Steve scoffed. “The fact that I’m right about art history has nothing to do with my sub-gender.”</p><p>“There’s the man I know and love!”</p><p>That brought out a laugh from him, more of a giggle really, but Tony was glad to hear it. He couldn’t help but lean in and plant big, loud, and silly smacks along his cheeks, which resulted in more laughs.</p><p>Steve confessed that he was somewhere on the asexual spectrum early on in their relationship. He didn’t bother trying to figure out some long-winded term with Latin origins or whatever labels certain websites used. It was just easier to say that he didn’t mind displays of affection like hugging and holding hands, kissing was alright, but he didn’t want to go further than that. He wasn’t interested in sex, it wasn’t important to him, and he understood that this was a deal breaker for a lot of people. Hence some failed relationships.</p><p>For Tony, that was just fine.</p><p>He enjoyed sex. Sex was awesome. He completely understood the appeal of sex in all its varieties and forms, but it only meant something to him when the person he was with meant something to him. Otherwise, it was just another way to please someone, bearing some hard lines like being a homewrecker or having sex when he really wasn’t in the mood or couldn’t properly consent, like when he had a few too many drinks. In a way, sex was kind of like gifts or money: enjoyable, sometimes needed, but ultimately, there were more important things.</p><p>Like making Steve smile.</p><p>Or listening to him babble about history for a few hours.</p><p>Or joining forces to annoy Bucky.</p><p>Apparently that was called being demisexual, but he didn’t concern himself too much with labels either. He understood some people found comfort in them and they helped explain complicated situations in just a few words, but his therapist said that labels could do the opposite. In the end, what was important, they stressed, was communication.</p><p>And he was determined to communicate effectively with Steve about this.</p><p>Steve smacked Tony’s arm, flushed and panting a little from the bought of laughter. “Tony!”</p><p>Tony gave him one last kiss and let them settle down again, lest his asthma acted up again.</p><p>“Yes, love?”</p><p>“I want to be serious for a bit. This is a big change. Things are going to <em>change</em>,” Steve said, giving Tony a look before he could attempt to derail the conversation again. “If I really am an alpha, it’s going to affect our lives in ways we can’t imagine. The paperwork alone!”</p><p>Tony nodded. “Yeah. We’re going to have to look into all of that, see how much of a fuss the government is going to put up.”</p><p>It would be difficult, complicated.</p><p>But it could be done.</p><p>Tony wondered how differently people were going to regard Steve. How many places he would no longer be welcomed, how many people would edge away from him … Alphas had a somewhat bad reputation, with the common assumptions that they were brash and forceful, had bad tempers, and used their instincts as excuses for doing whatever they wanted. Sure, omegas had their own damaging stereotypes, but Steve was going to have so much to adjust to.</p><p>He shifted so he and Steve were face-to-face.</p><p>“But I am going to be right there with you,” Tony said. “One hundred percent. Whatever it takes. You are amazing and beautiful and you are one of <em>the </em>best things in my life. You are wicked intelligent, you don’t take crap from anyone, keep me on my toes, and always make me smile. You’ve given me so many more reasons to wake up in the morning, and god, you’ve given me friends beyond people I met through SI. Speaking of that, just in case you forgot, there are half a dozen people out in the living room who would kick my ass if I broke up with you just because you’re an alpha and I would be the first one. Maybe second, if Bucky fights me for that honor. So, just to say it again, I love you and that is not going to change no matter what else does.”</p><p>Steve stared at him and then hastily wiped his eyes, sniffling. “Oh god. Emotions. Ugh! Tony!”</p><p>“Sorry,” he murmured, grabbing a sheet corner and handing it to him like a tissue. Steve gave him a watery glare. “What?”</p><p>“You’re sitting on the tissues.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Tony grunted and adjusted until he could grab the now thoroughly smashed box and pass them over to him. The first tissue came out torn, but the next few came out alright enough. Tony let Steve collect himself. He could still tell something was eating at him, though.</p><p>“Lay it on me, whatever’s going on in your head,” he said. “You know you can talk to me.”</p><p>Steve squirmed. Ah, Tony had a feeling he knew where this was going.</p><p>“It’s just the same insecurities that keep popping up,” Steve confessed. “Except now it’s all because I’m apparently an alpha. Jeeze, as if the universe didn’t pick on me enough.”</p><p>“We’re a soap opera, babe. We might as well get used to it.”</p><p>Steve rolled his eyes and laid his head on Tony’s chest. “I guess.”</p><p>“We’ll be fine. Promise,” Tony vowed.</p><p>“I know. I love you, too.”</p>
<hr class="hr"/><p>A month later, another heat came around, but thanks to an army of doctors, it was not as bad as the time before. A few researchers hounded Steve for test results, written testimonies of experiences and symptoms, and blood samples, but he chased them off with some well-chosen words. Honestly, his life was turned upside down! Tony laughed for about an hour. Thanks to having the foresight to bring out his phone, so did everyone else when they saw the video.</p><p>“We all good?” Bucky asked, the living room turned into a huge pillow fort, complete with fairy lights artfully arranged and a number of floor pillows and bean bags strewn about.</p><p>Snacks were made. Blankets were freshly washed. Reed diffusers replaced candles. Netflix was queued and ready to go. There were heating pads at the ready too.</p><p>“Yup,” Steve said, a bowl of popcorn in his lap, feeling warm and content.</p><p>A combination of medicine, some therapy sessions, and comforting rituals like movie nights—and a rut tracker application on his phone—negated so much of what would be a miserable experience every month. Actually knowing what was going on and what triggered some of the worse instincts was a miracle too. He hated feeling possessive, territorial, and grouchy. No one deserved to be snapped at by him just because his hormones were going out of whack.</p><p>Tony reached from behind him and snagged some popcorn. “Do we have to watch <em>all</em> rom-coms?”</p><p>“We drew lots and Natasha won,” Sam said. “Suck it up.”</p><p>Natasha grinned from her perch in the love seat. “I’ll enjoy watching you squirm.”</p><p>“Admit it, you love the tropes as much as anyone else,” Pepper laughed.</p><p>“Who doesn’t like a guaranteed happy ending?”</p><p>Steve moved over a little to allow Tony to sit on the couch where he and Bucky were, smiling. Tony smiled back and kissed his cheek.</p><p>There were some rough patches and there likely would be more in the future that weren’t related to being an alpha or anything else. There were going to be many more moments—celebrations, arguments with customer support on the phone, nights where they tried to kill each other over a board game, and everything else in between. But he knew that Tony would be there for him, and he would be there for Tony in return.</p><p>That sounded like a happy ending to him.</p>
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